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No link between infections |
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Written by Sherri Gallant
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Friday, 19 December 2008 |
A provincial review has concluded it’s a staggering coincidence that two babies born at the same hospital on the same day contracted serious infections in their umbilical cord stumps a week later — leading to the death of one of the infants.
The first phase of the provincial investigation was released Friday, reporting there were no connections between the newborns, who suffered their infections last summer.
But the Omphalitis Review Committee has recommended the province undertake a study of the various methods of umbilical cord care used for newborns and how they may be associated with omphalitis (infection of the umbilicus — belly button — and umbilical cord stump).
Vanessa Maclean, senior medical director of acute care and emergency services, said Friday that may result in one standardized form of practice for umbilical-stump care, depending on what the findings are.
“There are a variety of approaches to cord care, in Alberta and across Canada,” Maclean said. “And, really, the recommendation is that we should really study all these methods and determine, based on evidence and based on science, which one makes the most sense.”
Maclean said the external review process took several months because it undertook such a detailed analysis of every aspect of both cases.
“We have our own process, which we, of course, completed, but it was a good experience going through the provincial review as well. It’s an extremely rare occurrence to have two babies at the same hospital experience this.”
The first segment of the provincial review found no evidence of a link between the two cases and no evidence the infections were acquired in hospital. The families were from different communities, one from Fort Macleod, the other from Lethbridge; the infants were born in different rooms and post-delivery care was provided by different health-care workers; and the bacteria taken from each baby were different and unrelated, which is not indicative of a common source.
Group A Streptococcus, the culprit often responsible for flesh-eating disease, was not present in either baby. What’s more, there was no evidence of inadequate or inappropriate cord care by the family members who cared for the infants.
The babies were born a day apart at Chinook Regional Hospital and both were re-admitted to hospital one week after birth with omphalitis that rapidly developed into necrotizing fasciitis (severe, deep-seated soft tissue infection). They were subsequently transported to Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary where one baby died. The other continues to recover.
The review committee was comprised of members from across the province with extensive expertise in infection prevention and control, public health, pediatric infectious diseases, neonatology, pediatrics, health quality and patient safety. It also included representatives from Alberta Health Services, Alberta Health and Wellness, and the Health Quality Council of Alberta.
Work continues on the second phase of the review, which focuses on the clinical care of neonatal necrotizing fasciitis.
Maclean said the findings from the first phase have been shared with the families of the two babies.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 10 August 2009 )
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